1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to crop harvesters and, more specifically, to grease tank structure for a cotton harvester or similar agricultural implement.
2) Related Art
Agricultural harvesters such as cotton pickers typically include a lubrication reservoir for supplying grease to bearing areas in the harvesting structure. In harvesters such as the John Deere model 9965 Cotton Picker, a spindle lubrication tank is positioned on a platform adjacent one side of the cab. Such a tank location raises and forwardly shifts the center of gravity of the machine, limits access to the area, often is aesthetically undesirable, and does not optimize use of available space on the harvester.
The lubrication tanks have been made of plastic material that is nearly transparent so grease level in the tank can be determined. For various reasons, including styling, an opaque tank often is desirable. However, providing a convenient grease level indication for such a tank has heretofore been difficult. Due to the viscosity of the spindle grease, the grease will not flow in a sight gauge. In addition, access to the tank lid for visual inspection of the inside of the tank is difficult because of the tank location.